..that is, if you have one of the 122 names to which Jonathan set music, wrote lyrics, and filmed himself singing with an acoustic guitar. That’s right, in a true feat of clever word-working and creative thinking, with an honest intention to make people happy, Jonathan Katz wrote and sang songs that he is marketing as for anyone who has wanted a song about them or even for significant others to sing to each other, in a project called YourTune, with a YouTube channel of the same name!
I had the awesome chance to ask Jonathan a few questions about his project via email! Read his answers below, and check out a few of my favorites from Jonathan’s channel!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRlPrgGrhhM][youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bRhHSUufIU]Liz: How long does each song take you to write? Or are they all different? I was pleasantly surprised (when listening to the song for my own name) that the lyrics aren’t painfully general (I am thinking in the sarcastic generalization of love songs performed by Bo Burnham in his “Repeat Stuff” song, haha), even though you wrote so many songs, and you wrote them for others to use to serenade their love.
Jonathan: I approach each song as its own project – its own masterpiece. Some take longer than others, but I put the care into each song as if I were truly in love with the girl of that name. I tried to avoid overly general lyrics, but I also couldn’t say things that were too specific, especially physical attributes. Each song had to feel meaningful, but stay applicable to a wide audience.
L: What are your favorite songs of all the names?
J: I’m trying not to play favorites because I really do love all the songs. I put work into each and every one!
However, I’m obsessed with perfect rhymes (and getting close) and here some that I think are fun:– from Danielle: “when you’re sick I got the chicken soup/I’ll hang around and tell you jokes till you recoup“– from Jill ” fancy vodka we get our fill/triple distilled– from Cassandra: Cassandra maybe it’s me/a grand romantic gesture would be-from Julia “I’ll never fool ya/don’t wanna retool ya
J: I had the idea last fall and wanted to time it out right to be able to release Valentine’s week.
J: I would really like this to keep going. I have another list of names I’d like to get to, and some people have already e-mailed requests. The response has been very positive, and hopefully it gets shared on a larger scale. That would certainly help fuel more songs!
